"Dad? When are you coming home?"

My three-year-old son, Leo, called out through our trembling mind-link.

"Mom's on the bed, and... and I can't feel her breathing much."

"If she won't get up, then wake her up!" Aidan snarled impatiently on the other end of the link.

"Stop trying to get my attention with these stupid tricks."

He warned Leo, "Listen, I'm busy. Don't bother me with little things when I'm dealing with pack business!"

Then he brutally severed the link.

Just like that.

His so-called “important business” was sleeping with his second-in-command, Seraphina.

And me?

I was already dead.

Severing our mate bond had trapped my soul here, mercilessly.

But later, when the cruel reality finally tore through his arrogance, he clutched my moonstone token.

He wept, begging me not to leave.

Too late.

————————

1

It hit me without warning—

a tearing, agonizing pain at the core of our mate bond, draining the life from me in an instant.

Mate Bond Withering Sickness.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Leo's voice cut through the fog. My three-year-old was there, his golden wolf eyes filled with fear.

I tried to send him a comforting thought, but it felt like a lie even to myself.

I wanted to reach out, to ruffle his soft fur, but my arm?

It wouldn't respond.

As if it no longer belonged to me.

Tears welled in Leo’s wolf eyes as he saw my colorless face.

Then came the whimper, loud and desperate.

"Mom, are you dying? Don't leave me, please!"

Every cry was a dagger in my heart, the agony tightening, sharpening.

"Go... call... Dad," I managed with my last ounce of mental energy.

He didn't understand what was happening, so all I could do was tell him to get help from my mate, Alpha Aidan.

Leo nuzzled my cheek, slid off the bed, and rushed toward the ritual platform.

A moment later, he returned, clutching my communication crystal in his small hand.

He held the crystal up to me and activated it with his mental energy.

But by then, I was already fading, my body nothing more than a hollow, cold shell.

Leo, my everything.

At his age, the pack's emergency channel was beyond his understanding.

I had set Aidan's link as the only emergency contact. All Leo had to do was push his own energy into it.

Buzz. Buzz.

No response.

Leo didn't understand—he kept pushing his thoughts into the crystal:

"Dad! Dad, help!" over and over.

But my world was shutting down, darkness swallowing me whole.

Mate Bond Withering Sickness—when a fated mate betrays their bond, their partner’s life force is drained away, leading to a swift, inevitable death.

I had carefully maintained our bond, setting aside my own family's legacy for him.

Yet here I was, my soul torn apart by his betrayal, withering away without warning.

When I opened my eyes, I saw myself—just lying there, lifeless.

Leo was still clutching the crystal, his mental energy hammering the link again and again.

This time, it actually connected.

"Dad?" Leo's voice trembled, punctuated by small, hiccuping sobs.

"When are you coming home? Mom's on the bed, and she won't wake up."

Aidan's voice was sharp and annoyed.

"If she won't get up, then wake her up. She's just faking it for sympathy."

"Listen, I'm busy. Stop bothering me with these stupid tricks!"

Before Leo could respond, a woman's voice purred suggestively.

"You promised today was for me. Forget about her. Tonight, your wolf belongs to me."

I let out a silent, bitter laugh.

Marrying Aidan and becoming his Luna, I gave up my life as a moonstone carver, burying myself in the mundane tasks of helping him secure his Alpha title.

But in his eyes, I was just faking it for sympathy, using my weakness to hold him back.

And now, as I lay dying in our bed, he was fooling around with another she-wolf.

I wanted to scream.

To shout, 'I'm not acting! I'm dying!'

But no one could hear me.

Aidan severed the link.

Leo stared at the dimming crystal.

He looked so lost, so uncertain.

Then, he climbed next to me and carefully draped my arm over his small shoulders.

As if that could keep me here.

Ghostly tears I couldn’t shed streamed down my face.

He was only three.

My pup.

How would he survive without me?

Would Aidan truly take care of him after I was gone?

I stayed there, humming an ancient wolf lullaby as Leo's eyes slowly closed.

His breathing slowed, soft and steady.

Asleep.

I looked at my body—still, empty—and ran a spectral hand over my face.

The hands I had once used to carve moonstones had lost their creative spark, worn down from managing the pack's affairs.

The lines etched on my face by time and exhaustion.

Maybe this was why Aidan had turned to his second-in-command, Seraphina Thorne.

He chose her over me.

Even when I needed him most.

Would he cry for me when I was gone?

Just one tear—that's all I wanted to know.

Would he give me that?

"Mom, wake up! I'm scared!"

The room was pitch black, save for the faint moonlight spilling through the window.

Leo pushed me with his small hands, his voice trembling.

I tried to pull him into my arms, but my hands passed right through him.

I couldn't touch him.

"Mom, I'm scared of the dark! Make the moonstone glow!"

When I didn't answer, he curled up on the bed and began to whimper, the sound tearing me apart.

Normally, I would have soothed him instantly, using my energy to light the moonstone and calm him, but now—no matter how he cried—I could do nothing.

Finally, he slid off the bed, sobbing, and lit the bedside moonstone with his own mental energy.

He hesitated, glanced back at me, then shuffled toward the ritual room.

I watched him rummage through the storage cabinet.

I always kept the energy supplements on a high shelf, so he only managed to find a single life-fruit used to replenish energy.

He cupped the fruit carefully in his hands, rinsed it in the purification basin, then trotted back to the bedroom and gently pressed it to my lips.

When I remained silent, his small face fell.

He took the life-fruit back, climbed onto the bed, and draped a leg over me as he always did, nibbling at the fruit.

"Mom, are you just tired? It's okay. You sleep, and we'll play tomorrow."

His thought was a small comfort through our mind-link, and he pressed his small hand to mine, as if making a promise.

I covered my mouth, silent sobs wracking my ghostly form.

Leo, baby, it's not that I don't want to. I just... I can't.

Eventually, he fell asleep again.

At dawn, the main door of the Alpha’s house was thrown open with a bang, startling him awake.

Leo sat up, instinctively burrowing closer to me—then froze, realizing I wouldn't move.

Heart pounding, he rushed to the door.

Aidan stood there, scowling.

"Why are you up so early? Where's your mother?"

"Why hasn't she activated the house's energy circulation array yet?" Aidan grumbled, heading to the ritual room to pour himself a glass of moon-well water.

"It's this late, and she's still neglecting her duties!"

Leo tugged on his pant leg, gesturing as he spoke.

"Dad, Mom's in the room, but she won't move. I'm hungry. I want to eat."

Yes! Leo, take him to the bedroom. Quickly!

If Aidan saw me, he would know I was gone.

At least then Leo wouldn't be in trouble.

But Aidan impatiently shook Leo off.

"If you're hungry, go get your mother. Don't bother me—I need to meditate!"

He muttered under his breath, "Honestly, Elara."

"She's letting a pup run around barefoot this early. Doesn’t she care that he’ll drain his energy?"

Still grumbling, he finally shuffled after Leo toward the master bedroom.

I held my breath.

Three steps.

Two steps.

One step.

Any second now, Aidan would see me—and realize he had killed his own mate with his own hands.

Just as Aidan was about to step into the master bedroom, an urgent mind-link interrupted him.

"Aidan, I'm hurt. I was injured by a rogue wolf during training. Can you come help me?" Seraphina's voice came through, sounding weak and pitiful.

Aidan froze.

"Okay, I'm on my way. Hold on!"

Without a second thought, he turned to leave, but Leo grabbed his pant leg.

"Dad, come see Mom!" Leo whimpered, trying to pull him toward the bedroom.

Aidan shoved him away with his foot, annoyed.

"I have important things to do. Go wake your mother and have her get your formal wear ready for the banquet."

He snatched a coat and rushed out the door.

I waved my arms, screaming like a madwoman.

"Don't go! Just one look! She's lying, but I'm dead!"

But of course, Aidan couldn't hear me.

He was already halfway to his precious Seraphina.

The door slammed shut, rattling the walls and making Leo jump.

He let out a loud howl that echoed through the empty Alpha’s house.

Eventually, he shuffled back to the bedroom, climbed onto the bed, and curled up next to my body.

I wept too, watching him.

Moon Goddess, how I wished I could pick him up and tell him everything would be okay.

But I couldn't.

Leo hadn't been away from me since the day he was born—not once.

He must be so scared.

What can I do? How can I save my pup?

His howls didn't stop, instead catching the attention of a nearby pack patrol member.

A knock sounded—loud and urgent, rattling the door.

"Can't you keep that pup quiet? All that wailing is disturbing the whole pack's peace!"

The patrolman banged on the door, clearly annoyed that his patrol route had been disrupted.

My heart leaped.

I looked at Leo.

Leo, you just have to open the door. That's all it will take to save you.

I knelt beside him, my voice soft and steady.

"You're my little warrior, okay?"

"Go open the door."

"Let the man in. He'll help you. I promise."

I begged him over and over, trying to make my voice sound braver than I felt.

But the knocking was too scary.

He burrowed under the covers, his small hands clamped over his mouth as if he thought that would make the noise go away.

"No, no, baby, don't hide," I said, panicking.

"Leo, you're strong! Don't be afraid. Mom's here, I'm right here with you!"

But of course, he couldn't hear me.

I was just a ghost whispering in the silence.

In frustration, I rushed to the door and passed through the wall.

"Sir, please! Inform the elders! My pup is inside!"

I screamed in the patrolman's face, my words as useless as air.

I even tried to grab his hand, to push it toward the doorknob, but my own hand passed right through. The cruel reality of being a spirit.

Oh, right. I'm dead.

I floated back to the bedroom, but it was quiet outside now.

Leo shuffled to the door, his face illuminated by the magical viewer.

The screen showed the patrolman was still knocking, still muttering.

"Leo, touch the lock! Open the door!" I shouted, my voice raw from the effort.

His hand hovered over the doorknob.

He froze, uncertain.

I held my breath.

Come on, my warrior. Just a touch. You can do it.

The patrolman grumbled louder.

"If you don't quiet that pup—honestly! This is insane!" he finally snapped, then turned to leave.

Leo tilted his head, as if weighing his options.

"Leo, please! The man is leaving! You have to move—now!" I pleaded, my voice trembling.